Jack Karlson is the man who gave Australia one of their very first viral videos, when in October 1991 he was arrested outside a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, allegedly for using a fraudulent credit card to pay for his meal.
The Channel 7 news crew captured Karlson’s arrest, during which he famously protested with memorable phrases like, “What am I being charged with? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?” and “Get your hand off my penis!”.
Triple M’s Breakfast with Marto, Margaux, and Dan caught up with Karlson to see what’s he’s up after three decades, who he revealed he’s never made any money from the iconic moment, and is now confronting several health challenges:
Karlson has consistently maintained his innocence, asserting that he was mistakenly arrested due to a case of mistaken identity that day.
“They (the police) ran into this restaurant. I had been there at least a dozen times. It was my favourite restaurant, in the Valley in Brisbane. They thought I was some type of international gangster.
“They took me to the watch house and they realised I wasn’t the bloke they were looking for.” said Karlson.
Earlier this year, Karlson reunited with the policeman who had arrested him. The moment was captured in an Instagram story shared by the officer’s son, where they enjoyed a beer together.
Jack Karlson is an legendary figure in Aussie internet culture. If you’d like to show your support for the ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ hero, you can donate to Jack Karlson’s GoFundMe campaign here.
Missed that legendary Aussie moment, or has it just been a while? Watch it below for a good laugh:
Triple M Breakfast with Marto, Margaux & Dan; listen live from 5.30am weekdays on Brisbane’s 104.5 Triple M or download the LiSTNR App to grab the podcast NOW.
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